Van Nuys Windows & Doors
Window and door installation in Van Nuys, CA: sill pan first, the unit set with its bottom flange left to drain, then head flashing lapped under the barrier.
Rain running down a Van Nuys wall meets a window at the head first, slides along the jambs and collects at the sill, and each of those spots gets its own piece of flashing. The order those pieces go in decides whether water is led back outside or trapped behind the frame. We build the opening from the bottom up, set the window, and only then lap the head, with the house wrap folded over last.
Sequence at a window opening
With the weather barrier already on the wall and its flap above the head cut and folded up, a sill pan goes in first, sloped outward and turned up at the back and ends. The window is set on shims and fastened through its flange, with sealant behind the head and side flanges only. The bottom flange stays unsealed so anything that reaches the pan can drain out. Side flashing then covers the jamb flanges, head flashing laps over the top flange and the side strips, and the barrier flap is dropped back down over the head flashing and taped.
Doors sit at the lowest point
A slider or a swing door sits lowest in the wall and catches whatever splashes off a patio. Its rough sill gets a pan with a raised back dam and end dams, so water that slips past the threshold has nowhere to go but out. Weep slots in a slider's track stay clear of paint and sealant. If the slab outside pitches toward the house, we mark it before the door is ordered, and a trench drain or a regraded edge can be added to the scope. The interior floor height and the threshold are set together so the step stays low.
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Windows & Doors in Van Nuys: questions
Glass near a door, low in a wall, or by a tub or shower has to be tempered under the safety glazing rules, wherever the house stands. A mapped fire hazard parcel adds a rule: exterior windows there need insulated glass that includes a tempered pane, or another listed option. Each opening on our measure sheet lists its glass after the address lookup.
It depends on what water has done to the frame. A frame without stains, soft wood or open corners can take an insert, which keeps the stucco and trim intact. If the opening has leaked, the frame comes out so a new sill pan and side flashing can be lapped in the right order. Rebuilt walls get full-frame units.
LADBS, the building department for the City of Los Angeles, handles window permits in Van Nuys. A same-size replacement is the lighter filing. Making an opening wider or cutting a new one needs a building permit that shows the header. We prepare the submittal and schedule the inspection while the flashing is still visible.
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